Firms partner on detection of adulterated fuel

An indigenous service firm, Engineering Automation Technology Limited (EATECH), is pioneering a technology for the detection of poor quality aviation fuel,which is also known as Jet A1.

The innovation is coming on the heels of reported cases of contaminated aviation fuel, which experts say could hamper flight safety.

EATECH Managing Director Emmanuel Okon said the firm entered into partnership with two United Kingdom companies, Cygnus Instruments Limited and Stanhope – Seta Limited, to train clients and other users of the application of the new technology.

He lamented the havoc adulterated fuel has caused in the industry to aircraft and investors, saying the partnership will cover how to transfer the technology to Nigerians.

The company has also sealed a deal with the UK firms that allows for the training of many Nigerians in the repair, service, and maintenance of the equipment.

The UK companies have the technology for the testing of the integrity of aviation fuel, lubricating oil, crude and heavy fuel oil, as well as and motor fuel to ensure that there is no compromise that can lead to human casualties.

Okon said: “We have to bring in this sophisticated technologies into Nigeria because we realise that at a time like this when the cost of fuel has gone up following the full deregulation of the downstream sector, it is important consumers paid for the right quality of fuel they purchased at retail outlets,” said Okon.

“Let us take the aviation sector where all of us know that there is no parking space in the air, and that no matter the quality and the integrity of the aircraft engine, any impurity in the aircraft fuel is capable of bringing it down and killing the entire crew and passengers.

“It is in order to avert that type of risk, that we have decided to bring in the technology that can tell you – look this fuel is bad, it is not of the right quality, it has a high level of impurity, and it can destroy the aircraft,” Okon said, adding that the technologies can also mitigate and manage corrosion. ”

He continued: “If you bring in the equipment and is not well serviced, calibrated and maintained, it will even give you wrong results. So we have also worked with the Original Equipment Manufacturers to gain the same competence as they do.

“We have also gotten the authorisation and approval as in-country authorised service centre for these products. And what that implies, is that Nigerians don’t need to send the equipment back to the manufacturer in the UK for service, maintenance, repairs, revalidation and calibration.

“Any of the upstream or downstream oil firm, or the airlines can call us and we validate or maintain any of the equipment whenever they get spoilt. We are also boosting human capacity by training these Nigerians.

“That means we are saving a lot of foreign exchange for the country and I believe you know the challenge of sourcing for forex these days in the country. The objective is to mitigate or completely eliminate compromise in terms of corrosion or the quality of fuel or lubricants used in the tank farms, depots, cars, trucks, and aircraft, in this sensitive industry,” he added.

Last year, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) suspended five oil marketing companies because it had to ensure compliance to safety standard especially as their ban is linked to complaints from airlines about adulterated Jet A1, leaving residue on their aircraft.

Their suspension in November 2015 came as a result of registered complaints by some airlines in September same year.

He stated that at the moment, vehicles supplying aviation fuel, otherwise known as Jet-A1 are not sufficiently distinct from those supplying other petroleum products.

Ojikutu disclosed that the consequence of such development could result in fuel contamination as some of the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) Reports of some aircraft accidents have shown.

His words: “Up till about 1992, Jet-A1 supply to Murtala Muhammed Airport, was through pipelines from Ejigbo or the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) depot. The supply from the MMA depot to the hydrants on the apron where fuel is dispensed to aircraft, were done also through the pipelines. The method then was quality assurance in practice.”

He, however, regretted that unfortunately, since the pipelines got ruptured in 1992, nobody in NNPC, NCAA, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and even the airlines-the end users, raised serious concern on why there had been no repairs of the pipelines in 24 years.

The former commandant, Murtala Muhammed Airport, stated that the neglect of the repair of the pipelines is a major reason for the high cost of Jet-A1 and invariably the airlines operating cost if the costs of transportation and demurrage on the tankers are considered.

He explained that these costs are huge and are substantial earnings for the owners of the tankers used for bridging the fuel supply between the NNPC depot and the airport depot, stressing that the tanker owners are those who would not want to see the pipelines repaired.